Lesbian Pulp Fiction…What's in a Name?

Different novels by different authors were often given the same name during the Golden Age of Lesbian Pulp. Apparently back then it was OK to steal book titles from each other. Mmm…I guess they could be called Sex Thieves. Heh, what's in a name? 

'Reformatory Girls' by Ray Morrison

A different 'Reformatory Girls' by Nedra Tyre

'Sex in the Shadows' by Greg Hamilton

Another 'Sex in the Shadows' by Randy Salem

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Sometimes One and Two don't make Three. Lesbians and The Third Lust.

This Vintage Pulp Book available
 at www.LavenderPulp.com

Queer and lesbian pulp fiction novels from the 1950s often used the word "Third" in their titles which signaled to audiences that the book was about lesbian and gays.

A third sex or third gender has been around for a long time. Many Native American Tribes believed in a third, even 4th and 5th gender instead of today's commonly held view that genders only break down into two categories- man and woman. Different genders could include the feminine male, the masculine female or an androgynous person.

Third Street Tee Shirts available at www.LavenderPulp.com

The Third Gender addresses the gender of a person not their biological sex (male, female, intersex). So you can be born a male but feel your true gender is woman.

Also the Third Gender addresses the gender of a person not their sexuality (hetero, homosexuality, bisexuality).

Nevertheless, queer and lesbian pulps found many creative ways to use the word Third.

Queer Pulp in the Barracks

Available at LavenderPulp.com

Women's Barracks, a quasi-autobiographical work by Tereska Torres was the first genuine paperback best-seller that proved that there was a market for lesbian fiction during the 1950s selling over four million copies! Women's Barracks is attributed as the beginning of lesbian pulp fiction.

Based on her WW II experiences with the Free French Forces, this is the story of "what happens when scores of young girls live intimately together in a military barracks". 

In 1952 the House Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials cited the book as causing moral degeneracy. However, the following year there was a successful legal battle in which a Minnesota Court decided the book did NOT have a substantial tendency to deprave or corrupt. 

In Women's Barracks, a teenager and her family must flee Paris for Spain during WWII. Later she joins the French Free Forces to avenge her father and save her country from the Nazis. This thoughtfully written novel tells the story of life in the women's barracks and the various love stories between the women who live there. 

This forerunner of the Golden Era of Lesbian Pulp is a must-have for any book collector. This rare collectible paperback novel is available in limited quantities at LavenderPulp. These are ORIGINAL vintage queer 1950s and 1960s paperbacks (NOT reproductions) at www.LavenderPulp.com

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Where would we be without our lesbians in white?

You can purchase vintage 1950s lesbian pulp fiction books at www.lavenderpulp.com

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The hungering nurse and 
the charming laboratory technician 
opened new frontiers of lust and passion

So our brains aren't all mush, do you know theses famous nurses?

The Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton (1821-1912) during the Civil War.

Hazel W. Johnson-Brown (1927-2011) was the first African-American woman general in history and also a skilled nurse.

In 1849 Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in the USA to receive a medical degree. She also established the London School of Medicine for Women.

Ana Néri (1814-1880) the first nurse in Brazil, used her large inheritance to establish a nursing house during the Paraguayan War.

Margaret Sanger (1879-1966) one of the most famous nurses and women's liberation activists was founder of the organization which became Planned Parenthood.

Of course then there's also Nurse Betty, 

Hot Lips Houlihan from M*A*S*H 

and Nurse Jackie.

You can purchase vintage 1950s lesbian pulp fiction books at www.lavenderpulp.com

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Are you here on business? Enterprising Lesbians

"Their office hours 

were sizzling enough- 

what went on after hours 

could be told only in whispers"

It's business as usual for these 1950s lesbian pulps, whether its work or play, lesbian pulp fiction knows how to make it steamy.

You can purchase vintage 1950s lesbian pulp fiction books at www.lavenderpulp.com

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10 Top Places for Lesbians to Visit...if only they could

Third Street Tee Shirts at www.lavenderpulp.com

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What Price Love? 1950s Lesbian Pulp Relationships

Therese is nineteen, working in a department store during the Holiday season. One day a beautiful older woman named Carol comes to her counter and buys a doll which she'd like delivered. Therese, transfixed by Carol, makes a mental note of her address. Although young and inexperienced, Therese writes her a note and is elated when Carol invites her to meet…

Carol is in the middle of a rocky divorce and custody battle. But will that stop her from having an affair with Therese? Will a lesbian relationship be used against Carol in court? Can a new romance survive under these circumstances?

Patricia Highsmith

"The Price of Salt" is written by Patricia Highsmith under the pen name Claire Morgan in 1952. I'm thrilled to hear that a film adaptation of The Price of Salt titled "Carol" starring Cate Blanchett and Mia Wasikowska, is scheduled to shoot in February 2013 in London and New York.

Cate Blanchett and love interest Mia Wasikowska in the movie "Carol"

The author also wrote "The Talented Mr. Ripley" which starred Matt Damon in 1999. You film buffs may also know the psychological thriller she wrote "Strangers on a Train" which became a movie in 1951.

You can find authentic vintage lesbian pulp fiction books at www.lavenderpulp.com

Another Alice and Gertrude?

Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein

Legendary writer Gertrude Stein who penned "a rose is a rose is a rose" partnered with Alice B. Toklas for 40 years during which time they hosted their famous literary and artistic Parisian salon.

Did you know there's another Gertrude and Alice?
Alice Austen, born 1866 in Staten Island NY, is one of the most overlooked American photographers. Her work is considered the first in which lesbian women were openly photographed.

Photograph by Alice Austen

Photograph by Alice Austen

Photograph by Alice Austen

Photograph by Alice Austen

Photograph by Alice Austen

In 1899 Alice met Gertrude Amelia Tate from Brooklyn, NY who became Alice's lifelong companion. As you can imagine, photos of Alice in men's clothing with female companions was very controversial in the late 1800s.

"Alice Austen: Into the Light" is a documentary on her life and her visionary work. Her home and photographs are now the Alice Austen Museum, Staten Island, NY www.aliceausten.org


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For 1950s lesbian pulp fiction art and novels,
visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/lavender.pulp


For fun vintage lesbian gifts visit www.lavenderpulp.com

Alice Austen and Gertrude Tate 

Alice Austen and Gertrude Tate

Fun Summer Lesbian Reads...Sexy Lesbian Pulp Fiction

Enjoy one of these 1950s pulps  relaxing at the beach, lounging on vacation, or sitting at your office desk when no one's looking!  These classic lesbian pulps are back in print. You can also treat yourself to a vintage original from www.lavenderpulp.com

Whisper Their Love by Valerie Taylor

Joyce, a freshman at a fashionable school for girls meets Edith, the dean of the college, and falls head over heels in love. 

Reprint available from Little Sister's Classics or on Kindle.

Original vintage 1950s paperback sold at www.lavenderpulp.com

Beebo Breeker by Ann Bannon

Beebo Brinker, a young, handsome butch arrives in New York. This 17 year old farm girl, scared and innocent, soon has the femmes of Greenwich Village in the palm of her hand. 

Available from Cleis Press or Naiad Press reprints and Kindle.

Spring Fire by Vin Packer

Shy, awkward Susan Mitchell—"Mitch" to her friends—trembles as the camps beauty queen Leda Taylor, crosses the room toward her for a dance. Who catches whom in this saga is to be determined.

Original vintage 1950s paperback sold at www.lavenderpulp.com

Reprint available from Cleis Press or on Kindle.

World of Women by Carol Caine
Kat was queen of a strange jungle of flesh where only women were allowed and she had all the playmates she could handle.
Reprint available from Cleis Press.

The Girls in 3B by Valerie Taylor

Annice, Pat, and Barby, best friends from Iowa, arrive in booming 1950s Chicago.  Bohemian lifestyles, drug hallucinations, romance and secret lesbian trysts.

Original vintage 1960s paperback sold at www.lavenderpulp.com

Reprint available from The Feminist Press or on Kindle.

Odd Girl Out by Ann Bannon

A quick and easy read, Bannon's classic romance focuses on Laura, who meets the alluring Beth, who helps her get into a sorority. Laura is drawn to Beth and slowly falls in love with her. 

Reprint available from Cleis Press or on Kindle.